The Pontus Jewel
by WhoDatBuizel
Summary: Following in the footsteps of his now deceased brother, Torey Fournier is on the path to potentially finding one of the most historic archaeological finds in the modern era. But when he runs into Mago, an outcast of his kind that just wants to protect the ones he loves, Torey's expedition turns from a would-be triumph filled with glory into a dangerous situation for both sides.
1. Prologue

_A/N: Hi._

_So if you're from the original FTA1, and for some reason were anticipating an update, this is... the update, I guess. If you weren't, this does not pertain to you and you are free to move on to the story._

_Anyways, to those of you still reading, this new story is a reboot, a rework, a new beginning, if you will. I've got a plot figured out, I've scrapped useless characters, and now I just need time to write. Over the summer, I wrote two chapters, both equaling up to about 13.5k words in total. The next chapter will be posted soon, I just need to touch up on it._

_Of course, I say that and pretend that the past year hasn't happened. This story has already gone through a reboot, as well as several delays. Call me reliable? If you did, I'd laugh at you._

_Well, if you're a little shocked at this sort of 'update', I promise, you'll like this one better. At least I know I will._

_Well, without further ado..._

* * *

**The Pontus Jewel**

**-.-.-**

-Prologue-

Torey had been four when he first heard the word '_salaud_.'

It was an interesting word. It sounded fun to say. However, it seemed like a word that would be meant for harm. He heard Alain mutter that word all the time whenever he stubbed his toe when he came to stay at the house for vacation. Papa muttered it sometimes when he couldn't find his car keys. Mama yelled it when a joltik bit her.

Torey was six when he asked Alain about it.

Had it been on a weekend? It must have been on Saturday or Sunday; Torey remembered being anxious and excited about seeing his _grand __frère _fight in the top division of the famed International Pokemon Association. Mama had taken Torey just after breakfast as Papa and Alain had already been at the stadium since the crack of dawn and were practicing for the big event that would start that same day. Torey could hardly contain his enthusiasm, and as they were waiting for security to open up the stadium to the public, Torey remembered tugging on Mama's jacket sleeve to pass the time.

When the clock struck ten, security opened up the stadium to the general public. Torey rushed ahead, slithering past people to see Papa and Alain working hard for the upcoming battle. Mama repeatedly called after Torey, but he didn't return. He wanted to see Alain and Papa train for the fight, as he aspired to become like Papa in his glory days and Alain nowadays.

Instead, he found Alain arguing with one of his competitors, a big burly man who had an abundance of body hair and smelled like a wet stoutland, perhaps because there was a stoutland next to the big burly man. It flashed its teeth and snarled at Ross, the jolteon that had grown out of its niche as the family pet and had now taken the job as one of Alain's partners in battle. The much smaller pokemon snarled right back with as much ferocity and sparked it's fur. Papa was in between the two men, pushing them away, but they still argued. Papa couldn't stop the flow of words coming from both men's mouths, and their hands drifted towards their own belts of pokeballs. Torey rushed forward just as Mama caught sight of him.

Torey interrupted Alain by half tackling, half hugging his brother, who was a good foot and a half taller. Alain's fierce look towards the man softened when he realized Torey's presence and he ruffled his hair.

"Hold on, Torey, let me take care of this," Alain said softly, to the amusement of the other man, who crossed his arms. "Don't make this hard for me, _ami._ I've got other matters to attend to," Alain spat quickly. The other man scoffed, scratched his beard.

"A'right, we'll talk this out later," the man jeered, glaring back at Alain.

"Yeah, we will," Alain retorted, taking a step forward. Papa stopped him.

"No, you won't, Alain," Papa said, pushing Alain back. "Go back to your side, sir. We can 'talk' this out on the field."

The man chuckled, gave a quick smirk. "Yeah, on the field, buddy. Papa's not gonna save you this time," he sneered, before walking away and cackling to himself.

Alain glared after the man as he walked back to the other end of the stadium, calling him a 'salaud' under his breath.

Torey put a hand up to his chin. "Alain?"

"Yeah?" he responded.

"Was that man asking you about the Devon job?" Torey asked. Alain chuckled, still looking after the man.

"Mhm." He shook his head in disbelief. "_Crâneur _wants a cut from the job. Says he's 'done his research'. Doesn't look like he's aware of what he's finding, though."

Alain's recent trip to Hoenn wasn't for competitive reasons. Over the past two years, Alain had traveled back and forth between Kalos and Hoenn because of a job the Devon Corporation had called him for. Alain was a part-time trainer, full-time archaeologist, though Alain preferred the term 'treasure hunter'. Before Torey was even born, Alain had been involved with many different historical findings, and it was only inevitable that his reputation would grow. Now, Alain was leading his first real job at Hoenn's famed Mt. Pyre. He'd tell Torey about ancient legends of powerful gods and mystical battles; it all seemed too illogical for it to have existed eons before the world today. Torey was fascinated by such stories, though, and he remembered Alain telling him that if he doesn't find whatever he'd be looking for, he'd want Torey to finish the job.

"Is it bad that he doesn't know?" Torey asked. Ross had now shifted his attention to Torey, running circles around him. Torey reached down and petted the jolteon, the unique feeling of electricity surging through his arm. It tingled, and his hand was a little numb after he let go of the dog.

Alain looked down and grabbed both of Torey's little shoulders, chuckling and shaking his head. "Never mind that." Alain looked at Ross as well, chuckling when Torey was accidentally shocked by Ross. The little jolteon whimpered apologetically and licked the spot where Torey was shocked.

"Ross is still getting used to the new body. He's gotten a little bigger, and he kind of misses cuddling with others. He keeps hurting them on accident." Alain scratched the back of Ross' ears, having been used to the numbness that came with petting an electrical socket of a pokemon.

"Hurting others?" Torey asked. He knew Ross was never one to harm others. He would only protect, as love seemed to be the only thing Ross knew.

Alain laughed. "Stay away from carpet." He scratched Ross beneath the chin before shooing him away towards his teammates' pokemon. "Anyways, _petit __frère, _how have you been?" he asked, watching Ross trot over to his teammates' pidgeot.

"Good." Torey looked up to his taller brother. However, there was one thing that fascinated Torey more than the power and wrath of the gods above."Alain, what's _salaud_ mean?" he asked, much to the surprise of Alain. Torey was curious to know what Alain's vocabulary was like, since Torey always wanted to be like Alain. Alain glanced at Papa briefly, who shook his head and sighed.

"Not quite the response I was expecting," Alain mumbled. He chuckled and squatted down to Torey's eye level. "Don't say that word, Torey. Not until you're older."

"But-"

"Sh." Alain put a finger on Torey's lips. "Don't."

Torey paused for a moment, looking around the stadium and watching it slowly fill with spectators. "But why can't I?"

Alain sighed and smiled at Torey. "It's not something you should say to anyone."

Torey frowned. "But you called that man a-"

Alain covered Torey's mouth quickly. "Yes! Yes, I did. Look, just don't say- don't think about that word. At all."

It was odd. People would always tell each other not to think about this, not to think abut that, when all they're really doing is make them think of that specific thing. Torey remembered a story that Alain had told him over the phone a few months ago. It was a silly story about a troubled man in prison who had been told not to think of a mamoswine, and then was promptly told to answer the question 'what pokemon are you thinking of?' His only way out of prison was to answer anything but the mamoswine.

The man died in prison. Torey found that story to be hysterical.

"Just don't say the word, please?" Alain pleaded after Torey reminded Alain of the story. "It's a very bad word."

"But- But I want to be like you," Torey said. "I want to be like my _grand frère_."

Alain glanced at Papa, who was now joined by Mama. They both shrugged back at him. Alain rolled his eyes and looked back into Torey's gaze. He sighed. "_Grand __frère_ isn't very good sometimes. He can be a naughty boy." He lightly squeezed Torey's shoulder. "But you, you will be a good boy, _petit frère_. I know you're a good boy."

Torey looked down at his toes. "So I'll never get to say it?"

"Not until you're older."

Torey fiddled with his thumbs, sighed to himself. "Then I'll never get to be like you, Alain."

Alain opened his mouth, then closed it, chuckling to himself. "You are something, aren't you, _petit __frère?_" Alain said, more to himself rather than to Torey. "Hey listen, I'll take you to Hoenn when you get older, Torey. You'll love it. If anything, I want to find this treasure with you."

Torey looked at him. "I know what you're trying to do," Torey muttered. Alain creased his brow. "You're trying to change the subject."

Alain sighed in response, and Torey could see just a tiny twitch of Alain's lips, as if he was tempted to say something back. He squeezed Torey's shoulders and looked into Torey's eyes. "Have I ever told you about the old man and I?"

"You're still trying to change the subject-" Alain's finger went straight to Torey's lips.

"No no, Torey, just listen for a moment. Now the old man-"

"Was the old man Leo?"

Alain rolled his eyes. "Just shush. You never listen."

Alain told Torey about how he wanted to desperately be like his treasure hunting partner and mentor, Leo. At the time Leo was a strong, quick thinking, and ambitious man.

"I remember telling him that he was the person I most looked up to. I wanted to be exactly like him. I couldn't, though. I couldn't make the quick decisions that he could. At my age, I couldn't match his strength." Alain paused and scratched his stubble for a moment. He placed both hands on each of Torey's shoulders. "Do you know what he told me, _petit __frère__?_"

"Thank you?" Torey guessed. Alain chuckled at the attempt.

"No, he said 'don't be like me'. And that's what I'm going to say to you, _petit __frère. _Don't be like me."

Torey was taken aback by this. "You don't want me to be like you, Alain?"

"Torey, everyone in this world is different. You and I may be of the same blood, but we're all different. So, no, I don't want you to be like me. The world's already seen enough of me. However, the world hasn't seen enough of you. I want you to be different. Pursue you," Alain said. Alain lifted Torey's chin, forcing him to look him in the eyes.

"Pursue me?" Torey asked, still fiddling with his thumbs.

"Yes. I want you to be you. When you grow older, you'll find some other bad word that'll have a better ring than..." he trailed off. "Y'know."

Mama nudged Alain in the arm.

"Or you don't have to find a bad word. That works too." Alain said, rubbing his arm sheepishly. Torey looked back down at his toes, not content with the answer. He still didn't know what 'salaud' meant. "Oh, come on, cheer up, _petit __frère,_" Alain said. "Listen, after the battle, I'll show you what Leo and I found on the Devon Job." Torey's face lit up at this. "But that's only if you cheer up, yes?"

Torey nodded enthusiastically. "Will Leo visit?"

Alain shrugged. "He might come over for dinner." Alain chuckled when Torey's smile widened, his growing excitement obvious. "Seems like you're more excited to see Leo more than me," he mocked.

Torey became flustered. "No!"

He chuckled to himself once more. "Okay, _frère._ Well, some of the things we brought back from Hoenn are definitely worth showing you, so you better keep that enthusiasm up."

He looked behind his shoulder and saw his teammates wave him over to the trainer's pedestal. "Anyways, Torey, look at me. That advice I just told you, remember that. Keep it with you as you grow up." He lightly tapped the top of Torey's head with his fingers. "I did, and if you want to be like me, pursue your own self."

As Alain rose to his feet, Torey quickly grabbed and tugged at the hem of his shirt. "Alain, wait."

"Yeah?"

Torey looked down at his feet ashamedly. "I- I don't know how to be me. I've always wanted to be like you." Torey said.

Alain smiled pitifully at Torey and gave a small sigh. He squatted back down to eye level once more, and reaching behind his neck, undid a necklace that wrapped around his neck.

"Here, take this," Alain said, handing the necklace to Torey. "This was a little thing I found way back when Leo and I started the Devon job. Just a little 'good luck' charm, I suppose. Well, more a reminder than a good luck charm now that I think of it."

It was a silver ring, tarnished with age. On it was an ancient text that Torey could not decipher. Alain laid the necklace on Torey's neck, and Torey instinctively took the ring that was attached to it. Torey ran his finger across the surface of the ring.

"What for?" Torey asked.

"For you, _petit __frère_," Alain said. "It's yours now." He took the ring from Torey's hand and pointed to the words inscribed on it.

"'Those who dare change the world'. If you live by these words, I'm sure you'll do great things," Alain said softly. He ruffled Torey's hair once more, hugged Papa and kissed Mama, and left to go with his teammates before Torey could say thank you. It was something that Torey would soon regret.

"Alain gets himself into more trouble than he should," Torey heard Papa say to Mama. "Ever since he took that job for the Devon Corporation. I think he should let go of that job, _notre__ fils _is getting too much attention."

"I think Alain likes the spotlight, _bien-aimé_," Mama said to Papa. "He and Leo have certainly made a name for themselves."

Torey was four when he also heard the genuine sound of a gunshot.

It had spooked him, being so loud, being so deafening. He was spending time with Alain at the time, but it had been much fainter than when he heard it at the stadium. He remembered Alain telling him to think of the one thing that made him happy. He said that love and happiness would always overcome fear, and that the loud bang he heard was something he shouldn't be afraid of.

The one thing Torey thought of was Alain. He was smart, strong, hopeful, and always there for him as a protector of sorts, and after thinking about Alain, Torey wasn't scared of the gunshot anymore.

The one in the stadium, though, was a much louder bang, one that cracked the air and sent a shock through Torey's body. His face grew hot and his arms began shaking. Immediately, he thought of Alain, how he always made him happy and would always be there for him. Two more bangs followed.

Torey was six when he first saw what a gunshot did to someone.

Alain fell down to his knees, clutching his chest. More than just a shock was sent through his body. Alain was immediately surrounded by his teammates. The bloody scene quickly covered up.

Torey didn't know what to do. Papa and Mama jumped out of their sideline seats and rushed towards Alain. But Torey just stood there.

It wasn't until a much louder bang went off, one that dwarfed the first three, and tiny pieces of the roof began crumbling and falling towards the playing field that Torey began to run towards the group of people surrounding Alain, who was being dragged off the field, dribbles of blood running down his mouth.

That was all Torey got to see before being dragged off by one of Alain's teammates.

"No no no, c'mon, bud, we're going this way. Can't let you see that." It was Leo who was dragging him away, away from his brother, who, in the little glimpse Torey had gotten, had looked so hopeless and vulnerable.

"He's-" Torey whispered with what little air he had in his lungs, before his voice broke. "Alain's-"

"C'mon, kid! We have to get going," Leo said, much more volume in his voice. He pulled on Torey's arm as they made their way towards the stadium's exit.

Torey looked back out towards the playing field, watching several other pieces of debris fall to the ground. He followed the path the little golf ball-sized rocks fell, and for a fleeting moment, he locked eyes with a man on the roof. A flash of his red tie, the glint from some object he held, and then he was shrouded in a wispy black cloud that appeared to have come from a pokemon by his side. By the time it cleared, the man was gone.

And he had escaped smirking.

It was a long night at the hospital. Alain's life was on the line, and the doctors were working diligently on keeping him alive. Ross was off in the corner, staring blankly ahead with his head on his overlapping paws.

Torey's eyes ached. There was a lump in his throat. He was on the brink of crying, but he told himself not to. He wanted to stay strong for Alain. He wanted to keep that same spirit that Alain always had. He clutched the ring that Alain had given him, remembering what the words inscribed on the ring meant.

Torey still hadn't thanked his _grand frere._

No, he couldn't shed a tear yet. He still had to stay strong for Alain. Alain had always stayed strong for him, so Torey had to do the same. He cursed the man on the rooftop under his breath, softly calling him a 'salaud'. He felt better for a moment, despite the fact that he didn't know what the word meant. All he had to know was that word was supposed to be used for harm.

He just repeated the word, over and over and over again. It's helping effects somewhat died quickly, however, as Torey realized that repeating the word didn't do anything to the man.

The last time Torey said the word 'salaud' was when Leo approached him after emerging from Alain's room. Leo took a seat next to him and took several deep breaths. Torey hoped it would be good news, that his brother would make it out alive, that the bullets didn't really affect him and that he would be walking out of the hospital by the end of the night.

"Hey, listen kid. I've known Alain for a long while, and we've been through some tough spots together. It was always something we could walk away from." Leo sighed, scratched his head. "Look, I love your brother, I really do. He's like a kid to me. Y'know, being some twenty years younger..." Leo paused for a moment, looking away towards the TV screen in the corner of the room. The news of the crumbling stadium had been the highlight for the past few hours. Several dead, many injured; Torey had been hearing it since he got here.

Leo cleared his throat. "Look, Alain... he's not in the best shape he could be in-" Torey's heart plummeted. "He's a strong man, but, I don't know if he's walking away from this one."

That was all Torey needed to hear before jumping out of his seat and rushing through to Alain's room. Leo pleaded for Torey to come back, but Torey ignored him.

The unmistakable flat-line beep was the first thing Torey heard when he charged through the door. Some of the doctors around Alain looked in shock at the little six year old boy that had appeared before them, while others were still fighting to bring Alain back. Mama and Papa were sitting off to the side, with Mama gently weeping and Papa trying his best to soothe her.

Leo rushed in right after Torey, pausing as he heard the line go flat. He put his hands up to his head, before trying to pull Torey out of the room. But Torey would have none of it. He slithered out of Leo's grip and pushed past the doctors who surrounded Alain's body. Some doctors wouldn't let Torey through, while others let him past.

Torey climbed onto a step stool next to the bed that Alain laid on. His eyes were closed, and the soft heaving of his chest that Torey hoped to see wasn't there. The flat-line beep kept droning on.

He looked so peaceful, despite the blood that covered the bandages around his chest. His eyes were closed, and he seemed undisturbed by everything around him.

Torey laid his head against Alain's chest, and that was when Torey finally let the first tear go. He couldn't hold it in, and before he knew it, he was crying over his older brother's corpse.

There was nothing the doctors could do for Alain. He had now gone up to a better place. And already, Torey was missing his _grand __frère._

He had one thing, however, that kept Alain with Torey. With head still on Alain's chest, Torey clutched the ring that Alain had given him. He still hadn't thanked him for it.

"_Merci_, _grand __frère,_" Torey whispered, letting the tears run down his cheeks. But Alain hadn't heard it, as much as Torey wanted to think so.

A barrage of emotions overcame Torey; sorrow for his brother's passing, vengeance against his brother's murderer, confusion for the events that had happened today. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do next.

His hand slid over the necklace, and he looked down at it. Alain's voice echoed through Torey's head. _"'Those who dare change the world'. If you live by those words, I'm sure you'll do great things."_

It was then Torey knew what he'd do for Alain.

* * *

As a young cub, Mago had always been different. He didn't know how to swim until he was three, didn't learn his first attack until he was five, and left his buizel raft when he broke six years old. His mother was captured, his father was hunted, and both were taken away by humans.

But the odd thing was, he didn't miss them. As soon as he was hatched out of his egg, he was looking straight up at a staravia.

It was an awkward moment for the staravia, for sure, as he had just waddled by when Mago hatched, but Mago didn't find it peculiar. He didn't think that about how different a buizel's and a staravia's anatomy was, mainly because he had just hatched from his egg and was too young to think about such a complicated situation, and also because minutes later, the staravia had saved Mago from becoming a liepard's lunch.

And so, after being called Papi numerous times, the staravia couldn't leave Mago behind, and instead took him under his wing. Mago came to know the bird as Arrow, a newly evolved pokemon that had just been kicked out his flock after being caught in the cross-fire of an argument. Arrow would evolve shortly after leaving, and then would run into Mago just a few days after.

It took Arrow a while to figure out what he'd do with Mago after saving him, and decided that returning him to his raft would be the best option. Arrow would swear to raise Mago as best he could so that Mago could fit in as best as possible when he would reunite him with the buizel raft.

However, the differing characteristics of a water mammal and a bird proved to be a challenging factor in raising Mago, as well as the fact that Arrow did not have any experience in raising pokemon. It was the reason why Mago didn't know how to swim until three years later. Arrow didn't know how Mago's little blue fins worked, and discovered that Mago's tail could be used for propulsion when he was smacked by both tips.

Arrow came to treat Mago like a little brother; however, Mago treated Arrow as 'Papi'. Arrow knew he would have to let the young pup go, as he had sworn to return Mago to where he came from. Mago didn't have a hint at what his true origins were. He thought he had been raised by Arrow.

He had the talk with Mago when he was five. The tantrum Mago threw was how Arrow taught Mago his first attack, albeit indirectly. Physically, it didn't hurt Arrow. Mentally, it stung, for both Arrow and Mago. Arrow knew that Mago's reaction wasn't going to be a positive one, and Mago felt like he'd just been betrayed by the one pokemon he had trusted most.

Mago and Arrow's relationship took a rocky detour after the talk. Mago wouldn't speak to Arrow, and Arrow would always try to start a conversation with Mago, but to no avail. Mago made it clear that he thought of Arrow as a traitor. Arrow found Mago's raft a month later, and though he tried to milk as much time as he could with Mago, Arrow finally delivered Mago back to his family, and both pokemon went back to what was supposed to be their normal lives.

It proved to be challenging.

Arrow couldn't find it in himself to start a new flock after letting Mago go. Although he knew it was the right thing to return Mago, he couldn't deal with the emotions that went behind releasing the pokemon he would raise. He couldn't help but hide in the trees and watch over Mago.

Mago didn't have it any better. The buizel raft treated him as an outcast. His parents didn't seem to want a stray buizel. All the buizels Mago's age made fun of how he was a stray. Mago didn't feel at home, though he did sneak a few peeks at the buizels who knew how to fend for themselves and took a few lessons from them.

Both Arrow and Mago missed each other. It must have been fate that reunited them; perhaps a little gift that Arceus sent their way. Something that was at the expense of others' lives.

A hunter, a couple gunshots, and a few lives later, Mago and Arrow found themselves together. This was the first time they faced a life or death situation.

And it was here they found themselves backed up against a corner, facing the one hunter that had effectively dispersed Mago's raft.

Mago saw Arrow look at him from the corner of his eyes. "You're going to what?!" he hissed.

"No, listen! He's protected all over," Mago whispered back. "Except for that little space between his legs. Bastard's not going to see it coming." The two pokemon continued taking steps back as the hunter advanced on them.

"What about his neck?!" Arrow motioned to his own neck with a wing.

Mago shrugged. "I don't want to kill the guy, Arrow!"

Arrow cocked his head at him. "You're crazy, pup, you know that? That's disgu-"

"Well, you got any ideas?" Arrow glared at him. "Look, if you don't want to do the pecking, I'll do the biting. Just make sure he keeps his little doohickey on you."

Arrow's glare intensified. "You want me to get shot?!"

"Bite his pecker or get shot at! Take your pick!" Mago glanced at Arrow, making sure to keep the hunter in his sight.

Several buizel ran by, distracting the hunter from Mago and Arrow. Mago flinched at the loud gunshots, covering his ears from the deafening blasts, as well as the cries of pain from some of the unfortunate buizel. "Take your pick! We only have so little time!"

Arrow grabbed Mago's arm with a wing. "Look, pup, let's just go! The hunter's distracted right now, and it's a much safer option!" The both of them flinched when another gunshot rang through the air.

Mago shook Arrow's wing off. "You want the death of all these pokemon on your conscience?"

Mago and Arrow stood staring at each other for a brief moment, with Arrow's beak firmly shut. The sound of rushing footsteps, all terrified pokemon running in a chaotic mess, surrounded both Mago and Arrow. Arrow squinted at Mago, before the two were interrupted by the cocking of the hunter's gun.

"Well?" The hunter looked back at Mago and Arrow. "There's no running now," Mago said. Arrow pushed Mago's arm away.

"You're biting his pecker," he quickly said, before flying towards the hunter and barely avoiding the shot sent his way. "Just make sure you don't get shot!"

Arrow harassed the hunter, flying around in circles and throwing out curse words every now and then. "Now's your time, pup! Make it quick!"

Mago breathed in and exhaled. His heart thumped against his chest. Adrenaline rushed through his veins. "It's go-time," he muttered. He sprang into action, taking large strides toward the hunter. It was the first time Mago felt so alive.

Mago still felt that way when the hunter whipped around and smacked Mago on the side of his head with the rifle. Mago wasn't sure what was happening following the shot that the hunter sent his way. He was sure he was dead. He had been looking straight at the barrel.

"Mago!" Arrow cried. His voice was muffled, as if Mago was underwater. "You get the hell off him right now!" The shot must have just missed Mago by a hair.

His head throbbed. Mago grabbed his temple. It hurt to open his eyes. Mago watched a winged blob wrestle the hunter for his gun.

Mago's vision focused, and now he saw Arrow wrestle the gun out of the hunter's hands and throw it into the woods behind them, following with a Wing Attack to send the hunter on his rear. Arrow rushed back towards Mago.

"Get up, pup. C'mon, we have to go!" Arrow was grabbing his arm. The hunter brandished a knife and was coming after them.

"Arrow, look out," Mago croaked. Arrow wasn't listening. He kept pleading for him to get up. "Arrow, behind you!"

With the strength he could muster, Mago shoved Arrow away, just as the knife was beginning to make its way down. Mago rolled over, feeling the knife's cool touch just skim his back. He retaliated by whipping the hunter's wrist with his tails.

Mago watched Arrow come back at the hunter, knocking the knife out of his hand. The weapon clattered Mago's way, stopping just before his nose.

"Mago, take the knife and go! I'll join you in a second," Arrow grunted. The buizel raft had all escaped, not counting the ones that didn't make it, and Mago and Arrow were the only ones left.

"I- I can't just leave-"

"Just take the knife and go! I can handle him."

Mago nodded, and placed the knife in his mouth. He was about to take off when Mago heard a panicked squawk. He turned and saw the hunter pin Arrow to the ground by his neck.

Mago's heart plummeted. Arrow couldn't handle the hunter. He was trying to keep him safe.

Without thinking, Mago rushed over to the man and leapt onto his back. In turn, the hunter knocked Mago off, and Mago was sent sprawling across the grass. The knife fell out of his mouth and on the ground.

The hunter seized the opportunity to grab the knife. Mago watched the man raise the weapon. Arrow closed his eyes in submission, awaiting his fate.

It was Mago's fault.

"No!" Mago yelled. He shot a Water Gun at the knife, knocking it out of the hunter's hands, before rushing and leaping back onto the man. He fought for grip against the man's back, digging his claws into the man's jacket.

"Mago, what the hell are you doing?!" Arrow wheezed, still fighting the man's grip.

Mago ignored the question and buried his teeth into the back of the man's neck. The hunter cried out in pain, letting go of Arrow and now fighting against Mago. He reached for Mago, yanking at his tails. Mago cried in pain as he was swung over to the man's front and was held upside down. Mago shut his eyes and blindly lashed out in front of him, feeling something soft, and then something warm trickling down his paws.

Mago opened an eye. The man grabbed his throat. He was wheezing, choking on his own blood. Mago was dropped and fell on his back.

The man staggered back, his eyes wide open. He fell on his rear, grabbing his throat with both hands in a hopeless effort to stop the river of red pouring down to his chest.

Mago was just as shocked. It all happened so quick. He had just fatally injured, if not killed, a man. Mago frantically moved away from the dying man. He stared at his bloody paws.

"Mago, c'mon. Let's go," Arrow said softly, aware of Mago's shock. He lifted Mago onto his feet. "C'mon, pup, let's go. Don't think about it."

"I just- I ki-"

"No no no, pup. Don't think about it." It was all Mago could think about.

The two pokemon spent the night at Arrow's little tree that he called home. Mago stared blankly at the sky. Arrow perched on a nearby branch, grooming his feathers. The berries that Arrow gathered for Mago sat untouched next to him.

"You have to eat, Mago."

"I'm not hungry," Mago replied. Mago heard Arrow sigh next to him.

"Pup, I know what you're thinking. In your defense, he was trying to kill us," Arrow said.

Mago sighed. "I know," he whispered. "I didn't want to kill him. I just wanted him to stop." Arrow continued grooming his feathers.

"Mago, it's rough out there, you have to realize that. Everyday, everyone's fighting for survival. Every now and then, these random events come out of the blue. Could be a storm. Could be a heat wave. In this case it was a hunter." Arrow scooted across his branch to perch next to Mago. "We just have to keep moving on, no matter how it makes us feel."

Mago didn't reply. He just continued staring off into the distance. Arrow followed his gaze.

"What are you thinking about, pup?" Arrow asked.

"The hun-"

"Other than the hunter."

Mago grabbed his tail, habitually twirling the left end with a finger. "Do you- Do you believe in fate?" Mago asked. Arrow cocked his head at Mago.

"Why do you ask?"

"I'm just... curious."

Arrow put a wing up to his beak in thought. "I never really thought of it," he replied. "It never bothered me."

Mago sighed once more. "Never mind then."

Arrow scoffed. "C'mon, Mago. It's obviously bothering you. What's going on?"

Mago shifted his paw to twirl the right end of his tail this time. "It's just... the hunter-"

"Mago, stop thinking about the hun-"

"Wait, hold on. Just hear me out for a second." Mago scratched his head. "What you said, about these random events, do you think they could perhaps have a purpose? The hunter brought us back together."

Arrow cocked his head the other way. "What are you saying?"

"There was one thing I took from my time with the other buizel. There was a little saying that the assholes had lived by." Mago cleared his throat. "'Every cloud has a silver lining'." The two pokemon sat in silence for a while. "Do you think that maybe this little reunion is the 'silver lining' to that storm cloud?"

For a while, Arrow said nothing. It was silent, save for the rustling in the trees and the running water of a nearby stream, and then Arrow softly chuckled to himself.

"What?" Mago asked.

"I swear, all you buizel may be different, but you're all so optimistic," he said. He scooted the berries to Mago. "Eat."

"But I'm-"

"Eat. C'mon, pup. I'll force feed you if I have to." Arrow was about to grab a berry before Mago pushed him away.

"Fine." Mago glanced at Arrow from the corner of his vision, watching his smirk. He downed a few berries, before deciding that he didn't like Arrow's smirk.

"Stop it."

"Stop what?"

"Your little smirk. It looks stupid on your face."

Arrow was taken aback. "Excuse me?"

"Excuse what? You or your stupid beak?" Mago ate a few more berries.

Arrow laughed. "Oh, you've got some funny jokes, don't you, pup?" Mago just continued eating the berries.

"You got some of those berries on your chest." Mago was poked on the chest, and he looked down, only for Arrow's wing to come up and softly smack him in the face.

"Asshole."

Arrow scoffed. "Aren't you too young to be saying that kind of language?" Mago waved a paw at Arrow.

"Whatever." He went back to staring off into the stars.

Arrow finished picking off little pieces of debris from his feathers. "Alright. Well, pup, I'm calling it a night, feel free to call it quits up here. Could use a little company." Mago watched Arrow scoot away and fluff his feathers. "But if you are leaving, make sure to clean up before you go."

Mago looked over at Arrow. "Hey, Arrow?"

"Yeah, pup?"

Mago sheepishly scratched his head. "Uh, thanks, I guess."

Arrow waved a wing at him. "I should be thanking you. You saved my life today."

Mago shrugged. "You did too. My head would've been blown off if you weren't there."

"Ah, don't mention it, pup. I don't want to think about it all night. You did good today."

Mago sighed. "Yeah, you too." He scratched his neck. "Uh, good talk, Arrow," Mago said awkwardly. He watched Arrow shake his head and smirk once more.

"Yeah. Good talk, pup. I'll see you in the morning."

Mago stared off at the moon this time. Perhaps it was fate that brought the two back together again.

* * *

_Hey, how you guys doing? I'd appreciate it if you guys let me know how you feel about this sort of prologue section by leaving some sort of comment or review. It really lets me know how I'm doing in terms of pleasing the readers._

_Oh yeah, and how's my French? If there's anyone out there that can point out a few errors in merging some French with English, then I'd appreciate that as well._


	2. The Protectors of the Stones

_A/N: Quick announcement for those coming from the prologue. The prologue and this chapter were the only chapters that I managed to write over the summer. My time will be taken up with school and whatever else life decides to throw at me, so don't expect large amounts of progress through the story, as I've only just started writing the second chapter (or third, if you REALLY want to count the prologue)._

_I'm just going to put this up for those who do want to keep reading._

_Once again, thank you for leaving any comments or reviews about the story. If you have any questions, feel free to ask whether that be through a review or a PM._

* * *

_Chapter 1: The Protectors of the Stones_

_-.-.-_

_Torey_

_-.-.-_

It was the rocks. It was that more than anything that bugged Torey the most.

He swore, Torey had at least a dozen pebbles in his shoes right now. He couldn't just stop and empty his shoes, however, not while he was dangling hundreds of meters above the ground scaling Mt. Pyre's cliff side.

He was twenty now. His scrawny arms had gained some meat and he became more crafty with whatever resources he had around him. A small stubble began appearing on his face, a result from having no access to a mirror or a razor for the past week, and the features of his _grand __frère _appeared in his jawline and his cheeks. His Kalosian accent disappeared from travelling abroad, which was something that didn't quite happen with Alain. He was short-sighted, resulting from non-stop reading about Hoenn culture and legends from his childhood years. He wore a pair of prescription horn rimmed glasses, which was something that became a necessity for him. A grappling hook hung around his belt loop; he knew it would come in handy, despite Leo's doubts.

And most of all, he was armed with the determination to finish Alain's job, as he knew that would be the best way to honor his passing.

But it was the goddamn rocks in his shoes. Torey was tempted to climb back down, empty his shoes, and call it a day. Or perhaps continue climbing up, empty his shoes, and call it a day there. He couldn't keep going, not with the damn rocks digging into the soles of his feet. They were slowly killing him from the inside out, as well as the blistering heat from the sun.

Torey reached for his waist and grabbed the walkie-talkie that hung from his belt loop. He held down the button on its side. "How much 'till I reach the top, Leo? I've got these damn rocks in my shoes. Bastards are killing my feet."

For a moment there was silence. The walkie-talkie crackled to life again, and Leo's grainy voice came through. "You got maybe another fifty or so meters, kid. And put the damn radio away, you can't be dangling from the cliff with one hand. Jesus, you're just as reckless as Alain."

Torey chuckled and rolled his eyes. "I guess it runs in the family, huh?" Torey heard another sigh crackle through the radio.

"Yeah, definitely, kid. Just don't get yourself killed. I don't want Pérez hounding down on my ass when we get back," Leo said. "Because your death means mine too."

Torey faked a laugh. "Aha. Cute. Didn't know you cared so much about me." He looked back to the lookout point where Leo was supposed to be. "Ah, and forget about Perez, Leo. He's just here for the pickup, it's not like he cares about either of us."

The radio crackled once more, before going silent, as if Leo was hesitant on responding. "Just get to the top," Leo said. Torey knew that voice was the end of the conversation.

"Sure thing, old man." Torey put the radio away and continued climbing the cliff side.

It gave Torey time to think. Torey was now fulfilling Alain's role. Did Alain really scale the side of a mountain? Did he really voyage through dense shrubbery, following the supposed breadcrumbs of something that may not even exist? Did he really spend his days teetering on the edge, on the little trapeze that separated life and death?

He didn't realize he had stopped moving. The radio startled him, and Leo's voice came through. "You, uh, gonna get movin' Torey? It seems you've kinda broken down over there."

Torey reached over for the radio. "Yeah, just, uh, gimme a moment. I'm not sure which ledge I'm supposed to grab on to," Torey lied. He didn't want Leo knowing that he was thinking about Alain. He grunted, reaching out for a farther ledge and just barely grabbing hold of it with his fingertips. What he thought was a secure hand hold came loose, and the rock came tumbling down. Torey yelled in surprise, slamming into the side of the cliff face and dangling from a ledge with one hand. He wheezed, having the air knocked out of him, before grabbing hold of another ledge, this one being much more planted. He chuckled to himself, before looking back at the little speck that was Leo.

"Jesus Torey! You alright?" Torey heard through the radio. "You're gonna give me a heart attack, Torey, I swear to god," Leo said on the radio. Torey laughed, louder this time, as he continued his way onwards.

"Don't worry about me, old man, I've got it all under control," Torey said to himself, before laughing once more. He couldn't help it.

Perhaps this was why Alain loved his job so much. Alain always said that it wasn't about the feats of accomplishments or losses. It was the near misses that he would remember most. Whenever Alain was out on the field, he danced on the trapeze, swaying and teasing the jaws of death that resided below the tightrope. It was that one feeling that no one could match anywhere else, that thrill that one experienced from all these near misses. It was a shame that someone pushed him off the platform into those hungry jaws.

Torey stopped once more, shutting his eyes and shaking his head. "Ah, don't think about it. Just get to the top," he muttered, reaching for another hand hold. He couldn't have any distractions bogging him down, as he could see the top, just out of arms reach.

Finally, Torey would get to empty his shoes of the damn rocks. He pulled himself over the ledge with a final grunt, before laying on the ground and staring at the cloud-filled sky, automatically reaching for his shoes. The cool air and fog surrounded him like the embrace of another's arms, and despite the fact that Torey was aware of the thickening fog around him, he couldn't see anything past a few meters of himself. He sat up, breathing heavily, and reached for his radio.

"I'm at the top, Leo," he breathed into the radio. Torey wiped a bead of sweat off his brow and fixed his glasses, before slipping back into his shoes and standing to his feet.

"Great. I can't see you from here, Torey, the fog's too thick. You're gonna be on your own from here on out, kid, so be careful," Leo replied. "Remember, you are trespassing. We don't have the permits."

Torey sighed. "Will do, Leo."

"You have the flare, right? So you can trace your steps back?" Leo asked.

Torey took out the flare that stuck out from his back pocket. "Yeah, I got it right here," Torey replied, twisting the cap off and striking one end of the flare. He bent down to place the flare on the ground, and then got up to his feet, looking briefly at the red glow that the flare gave off.

"Can you see me, Leo?"

"I can see the red. If you get into trouble, just go straight there, I'll be there to back you up."

Torey nodded. "Alright, cool. I'm gonna head in there now. Wish me luck."

"You don't need luck, kid. You're a Fournier, remember?" Torey rolled his eyes. "Hey, don't keep me in the dark. I'm not the type of guy that thinks no news is good news."

Torey smiled. As much as he tried not to show it, Torey knew how much Leo cared about him. "Got it, Leo. Nothing I can't walk away from," Torey said through the radio. The graveyards of Mt. Pyre spanned for most of the mountain, and Torey knew he'd need to cover a great deal of ground. He habitually reached for his necklace, thinking about Alain once more for luck before setting off into a brisk jog.

He banged his hip against a tombstone not long afterwards. And then another. He bit his lip and glared at the tombstones that he had walked into on accident. With a sigh, he reached for a pokeball on his waist. "Help me out, Ross, I can't see shit."

With a red flash, the pokeball Torey tossed opened, and the jolteon that Torey was so familiar with appeared before him. Ross stretched his legs, yawned, and flapped his ears.

_"And I was wondering when you'd let me out of that thing," _Ross said boringly, the collar around his neck flashing red. He leaned into Torey's hand as he reached down to scratch him.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just lead the way," Torey said, giving Ross a little push forward with his foot. "We're trying to find our way deeper into the place. The person we're looking for isn't quite here." The jolteon retaliated with a small playful spark towards Torey.

Torey and Ross both walked in silence, with Ross sparking his fur to shine light on obstacles that would otherwise be unseen. Torey was thankful to have such a loyal pokemon like Ross by his side. He was comfortable trekking into dangerous situations knowing that his pokemon would protect him, almost to the point where Ross would die for him.

It was unfair, really. It was an unspoken pledge that pokemon took when they first bond with their trainers. Some rejected the bond, realizing the oath they refused to swear. They were the lucky ones, as they were able to opt out quickly without forming too strong a connection. It was pokemon like Ross that were unlucky. They were the ones who didn't realize that they had swore the oath, that being with the ones they considered masters forced them to put their lives on the line every single day.

Torey remembered when Ross was sick, almost to the point where it would cripple Ross and take his ability to produce electricity. The veterinarian instructed Torey to feed Ross these incredibly bitter pills that contrasted Ross' love for sweet snacks. However, as soon as Ross saw the pills, he refused to take them.

Torey, as well as Ross, after Alain's passing, came to know that the oath that pokemon unintentionally swore were just as masked as the pills that Torey fed to Ross. The little brownie treats that Torey hid the pills in were just as sweet as being with their trainers, partners, friends, everyday, but in the core of it all was the bitter truth: that everyday, if the situation called for it, they would have to put their life on the line for the one they loved most.

_"Where's Leo?" _Ross asked, breaking the silence. Torey snapped out of his daydream, snapping his head towards Ross.

"What?"

Ross looked around, turning in a circle. _"I don't see Birdbrains and Leo out here."_

Torey shrugged. "They're not here."

Ross sat down and looked up at Torey. _"Why not?"_

"Well, we are trespassing. If Leo rode Ace all the way up here, all of us would be caught. He'd give us away."

Ross scratched behind his ear with his hind leg. _"Huh."_

Torey nodded. "Yeah, let's keep going. We're supposed to be looking for a gravestone around here," Torey said, peering over at a nearby tombstone. "Ah, couple more rows down, we should be able to narrow our search area."

Ross laughed. _"Trespassing?" _He did the equivalent of clicking his tongue. _"You're a naughty boy, Mr. Fournier."_

"Don't tell Ma," Torey joked, passing Ross and peering at another tombstone. "She'd kill me if she knew."

_"Heh, I'll tell your Pa."_

Torey rolled his eyes. "You want to go back in the pokeball?" Ross was quiet for a moment. "I thought so."

The both of them walked past several tombstones, some of them cracked and eroded from the brutality of nature, others as pristine as they were when they were first built.

"Hey, listen, we're looking for a Dahlia Muto, born 1489, died 1562. Chances are, she holds a clue to where the Pontus Jewel may be," Torey said. He watched as Ross sneezed from clearing some dust off of a tombstone. "They say she had died without giving birth to any children. She was able to pass on the knowledge to people closest to her, but it never got farther than that circle of people." He sighed. "Quite a shame. Some say that she had a relationship going on with a lovely guy."

Ross sneezed again. "Was_ she feisty?" _he asked.

"You sound like Leo," Torey said. "Except this girl's been dead for a while now."

_"Just curious," _Ross replied. _"I like girls with a little spark in them."_

Torey shook his head. "Keep it to yourself, Ross. You're a pokemon. That's weird."

Ross hung his head in shame. _"Nothing wrong in asking," _he muttered.

Torey shuffled past more tombstones. "Legend has it that Ms. Muto here was a part of a group called the 'Protectors of the Stones' before the Draconid people were wiped out by the start of the Mechanical Age in 1534. It's a shame; the Draconids wanted to stick to their traditional ways, and they could have become more than just a tribe, but they just couldn't compete with the Hoennian gadgets and machinery and what have you of the 16th century-"

_"You're rambling, Torey."_

Torey cleared his throat. "Yeah, right, sorry. Anyways, the Draconid people had a fondness for jewels. Said that each gem and stone told a story, beneath all the luster or toughness of the rock. They created myths with them, connected rocks to legends, created a, uh, legacy, I guess, with each jewel they deemed sacred."

Ross looked at Torey. _"And this does with Ms. Muto... how?"_

Torey chuckled, wiping another tombstone with his hand. "As a Protector, she had certain duties. She had to protect a certain stone with her life until she passed that job down to one of her heirs."

_"But she didn't have any heirs," _Ross said. _"That's what we established."_

Torey pointed at Ross. "Exactly. The Draconids had created a... protocol that had to be done in order to fix that sort of problem and find the right person who would inherit that job for the next generation. You know, something that could be completed in a year or two." He coughed as some dust flew into his face. "Because she couldn't give her job away, I'd say that she took the Pontus Jewel, or at least some part of it, with her to the grave. Set the next person up to inherit the stone." Torey smiled at Ross. "The best part is, this happened during the Mechanical Age. The Draconids could not find a replacement Protector before most of them were wiped out, which means if my hunch is correct, if the Draconids were wiped out before they could complete their protocol-"

_"No one filled the hole that Ms. Muto left behind," _Ross said, the realization on his face evident. He walked over to Torey.

Torey laughed. "You catch on quick, Ross. Which means everyone who knew about the Pontus Jewel are now gone or have seemed to have forgotten about it." Torey smirked at Ross. "Until now. The fruit is ripe for the picking."

Ross cocked his head at Torey. _"You said there was more than one Protector of the Stones?" _Torey nodded. _"What about those guys? Why are we looking for just the Pontus Jewel when we could snatch the other stones up?"_

"Who said we weren't?" Torey smirked. "The Devon Corporation wants the Pontus Jewel. We'll give it to them, yes, because that's the only jewel they know about. They're a corporation that cares just about profit, they don't know what we know." Torey scratched Ross beneath the chin with both of his hands. "And because of that, we get a headstart. We take our share of cash and immediately look for the other stones. The Terra Stone, the Caelum Gem, and what have you, and by the time they figure it out, Leo and I will have sold it by then on the black market, and we become millionaires."

_"Wow," _Ross said. _"You're a hypocrite."_

"Hey, at least I do my research," Torey said.

_"Well, how about the legends that are tied to these stones?" _Ross ask. There was uncertainty in his voice, or at least the one that had been given to him through his translator.

Torey scoffed. "Surely, you don't believe in them, do you? They're just legends, a big part of Draconian culture. No one has seen them- well, at all."

Ross hung his head. _"I guess," _he said. Torey noticed Ross' hesitancy and quickly scratched him behind the ears.

"Aww, come on Ross. Don't worry, this is for us. This is for the family." Torey let his hands go numb from Ross' fur. Torey's radio crackled, and he heard Leo's voice come through. He left Leo's call hanging, as his arms had now gone terribly numb. "Now c'mon, let's go find us a Dahlia Muto."

It had taken them several hours until they found Dahlia's tombstone. It was off in the corner, with many cracks running through it and several bits of it gone. It had definitely been one of the first tombstones built on the site.

Had Alain really been this close to uncovering the Pontus Jewel? It couldn't have been this easy. And it didn't quite feel right; it didn't do Alain's disappearance any justice. He had been the one to do most of the work and research, and now Torey was just here to pick up after him. Alain had been the one to continuously run into dead ends, and now Alain wouldn't get to relish this accomplishment.

"Yeah I'm having Rumble dig up the site," Torey said to the radio. The rhydon that stood over the grave delicately scooped dirt out of the burial site, being careful not to disturb the other graves that laid beside it.

"Jesus Torey," Leo said, chuckling through the radio, "how much more disrespectful could you be?"

Torey glanced over at Rumble and Ross, the latter desperately avoiding the specks of dirt that flew his way. "It is what it is, Leo. Don't question it," Torey replied. He watched as Ross shot a spark at Rumble in frustration, and in response, Rumble turned around with a large clump of dirt in his claws. "Hey! Rumble, don't do that. Ross," Torey snapped his fingers at the jolteon and beckoned him over. "Come over here." The big rhydon grumbled to itself and continued digging, and Ross quickly strode over to Torey's side.

Torey knew that the rhydon wasn't much of a speaker, and only spoke when it was necessary. It contrasted Ross' much more social and talkative side, and more often then not, the smaller pokemon would do something to make the rhydon mad. Rumble wouldn't speak; he would only turn to Ross with an unspoken threat of some sort.

Leo sighed through the radio. "I'd love to be up there with you. I'd bet Alain would too." Torey could imagine Leo awkwardly scratching his head as he said this. "You've done a great job, Torey. Alain'd be proud of you."

Torey chuckled. "Yeah, thanks," he said. "I'll get back to you if we run into any problems." Torey put away the radio once more.

The odd thing about Dahlia Muto's grave was that she didn't seem to have been buried there. After several minutes passed, the three of them found that the coffin was there, but the body was not. All that was left was a little parchment inside the coffin.

Torey held his chin in thought. "Hey Leo," he said into the radio, "Muto isn't here. Neither is the Pontus Jewel." A sigh came through the radio as Torey curses under his breath. Of course it couldn't be this easy. "She, or someone else, did leave a piece of paper here." Torey reached down into the tomb to grab the parchment.

"What's it say?" Leo asked.

"Hold on," Torey said, delicately unraveling the paper, the unfolding process as similar as bending a dead leaf. It crunched under the stress of being re-positioned, until finally the paper was back to its full size. The marks on it squiggled into different blobs, some of them looking more similar than others; he managed to make out shapes that resembled several different regions. Each blob had a line or two coming from a central point, which happened to look like Hoenn. Torey traced the lines to each of the different depictions of gods that were placed in the other regions, and his eyes widened in realization.

"It's a map, Leo," he said, pointing to the central point, despite the fact that Leo couldn't see him. "Leo, these are where all the different stones went."

"How about Dahlia?" Leo asked. "Does it say anything about her?"

Torey scanned the paper, looking for little traces of fine print that may have faded away from age. He turned the paper over, and on the bottom left corner, he found what he was looking for.

_'Though we may be scattered, the task we have been given still remains. Those who are worthy may follow the path. Those who are not will feel the basin's wrath. Go forward, so that what I have lived for may not be in vain. May Arceus have his blessings upon thee, whether you be a brave traveler or a petty thief, and join me in Paradise, where your Brothers and Sisters have resided. May the Protectors one day be reunited once more.' -Dahlia Muto, 1562_

Torey chuckled to himself. "Holy shit, Leo, you have to see this."

"Well, shit kid, I'm down here, I can't really do much except wait."

"It's a message, the protocol that the Draconids have set up-" Torey paused for a moment.

"What is it? You gonna read it out?" Leo asked impatiently.

"Yeah hold on..." Torey replied, trailing off in thought.

Why would Muto leave the Pontus Jewel in her grave with her? It would do as much good as leaving it in the open and dying with it. She wouldn't be doing her job correctly. Muto knew she was going to die soon. She was going to protect it by hiding it, and only those who would be able to seek it would prove worthy to follow the path.

To follow in her footsteps.

"Of course, how could have we been so stupid?" Torey smiled in astonishment, holding his hands above his head.

"Torey, damnit, I hate it when you always go into those 'holy shit' moments." Torey heard a sigh come through. "You gonna read it out or what?"

Torey flipped the parchment back and forth, scanning the document for anything else that he may have missed. "It's basically a little note that says that the Protectors have gone into hiding. You know, 'if you're worthy, do this and that or you'll die'."

"Oh. So it's one of those notes," Leo said.

"Yeah," Torey replied, studying the map. He traced his finger from the central point to each of the different gods. "It looks like the Protectors were scattered throughout the world. They went into hiding during the burst of the Mechanical Age."

"So you're saying the Draconids did not die off?" Leo asked. "Instead they were just so incredibly close to being wiped out, and the ones that did survive happened to be the Protectors of the Stones, who decided to hide and rebuild in the open and in plain sight?" Torey could hear the disbelief in his voice.

"I know history says otherwise, but yes, that is what I'm saying."

"Kid, you're aware of how outrageous that sounds?" Leo asked. "Get down here, I want to see what you have."

"Yeah, will do. I'll meet you at-" Torey heard Ross begin barking ferociously, and also felt the ground tremble from Rumble's footsteps. "The hell are you guys doing?" Torey looked behind him, as a large shadow loomed over the three of them. Ross sparked his fur dangerously and Rumble spun his horn several times, testing his Drill Run.

"What's wrong, Torey?" Leo asked through the radio.

"We might need a quick getaway," Torey said, his heart rate beginning to rise. "We're going to be coming in hot." Torey eyed the unusually large confagrigus that came out of Muto's grave. It wasn't native to Hoenn; the Protectors must have left a confagrigus there to test whoever dug up the grave.

"Were you guys caught trespassing?" Leo hissed.

"No! Shit, Leo, just be ready for us." Torey quickly pocketed away the radio, just as the confagrigus swung at Ross and Rumble. Ross managed to bolt out of the way, but Rumble was smacked in the side and sent flying past Torey. Rumble, who was still on his feet, slid to a halt, and set his feet, ready to charge for another attack. Leo's staticky voice rang through the radio, calling for Torey to reply.

Torey quickly looked around, trying to find a way to help his pokemon get an edge in the fight. His hand slid over the grapple hook, and immediately began searching for a secure hold that could hold the rope down. To his left was a large oak tree that towered most of the grave site. Torey looked at it peculiarly, as the tree wasn't there before.

But it would have to do. Torey couldn't keep his pokemon waiting.

He ran to it, hoping that it wasn't too out of reach of the battle. He watched as Rumble tackled the confagrigus, drilling him with his horn as Ross fired several Thunderbolts at the confagrigus, knowing that Rumble wouldn't be affected.

Torey wrapped the rope around the base of the tree trunk, not before realizing that the rope was several feet short.

Torey cursed under his breath. "Ross, Rumble, bring him over here!"

Ross did a double take before rolling out of the way of the confagrigus. _"Wha- Torey, are you crazy?! That thing will take your head off!"_

It was somewhat depressing when Torey thought about it. Ross was so much smaller than Torey, but still he would protect Torey until his last breath.

Torey watched Rumble and the confagrigus wrestle for dominance, with claw in claw and both of them in each other's faces.

_"Ross. Shock. Him!" _Torey heard Rumble grimace. Ross sparked his fur, releasing a steady stream of electricity at the ghost. The confagrigus' strength faltered, giving Rumble the upper hand. Ross surrounded the pokemon in bright sparks of lightning, paralyzing the ghost and allowing Rumble to lift the confagrigus and slam it to the ground. It gave Torey the opportunity to throw the grapple to Rumble, who, despite his large size, delicately wrapped the confagrigus with the rope, tethering it to the tree.

The ghost got back up and attempted to charge at the three of them, but to no use.

Torey was the first to chuckle. "Spooky, huh?" He turned to Ross and Rumble and did his best impression of a ghost. "C'mon, let's go. I don't like watching you guys fight. It worries me."

Rumble grunted. Ross cocked his head at him. _"Worried? Oh please, Torey, we had that under control..." _he trailed off. The wood that creaked behind Torey made his hair stand on end. He watched Ross take a few steps back and spark his fur, getting back in a battle stance. Rumble did the same.

Torey turned, taking several steps back, and faced a single red eye and two swinging branches. The bark was split into three segments, and the trevenant that stood before them untied the confagrigus from the rope. Both ghosts loomed over them. But Torey's pokemon wouldn't back down.

He knew it. It was another protector of Muto's grave. "Guys, c'mon, let's go. You guys can't take them," Torey said. But Ross and Rumble had already engaged mid sentence.

Rumble attempted to drill into the trevenant with his horn, but was immediately slammed by the trevenant's branches. Torey could see Rumble's stone armor take a beating from the trevenant's grass type attacks, with bits of the rock cracking in several places and flying from Rumble's body. But still, the rhydon would not back down. Ross couldn't help Rumble out as he was preoccupied by the confagrigus, but his attacks wouldn't have been of any use against the trevenant.

Torey couldn't do anything to help them fight, as the only weapon he had was sitting in shambles in the middle of the battlefield. He did possess the tool that could change the course of the battle.

Torey returned Rumble to his pokeball, just as Ross was flung from the battlefield and landed next to Torey.

Noticing the flash of red and Rumble's absence, Ross quickly turned to Torey. _"What are you doing?! Knucklehead and I can take him!" _Ross fired several sparks at the confagrigus, which were swiftly avoided. _"Bring him back out! We can fight!"_

"No you can't! They're too strong for you!" Torey yelled, helping the jolteon up and pushing him the other way. "Go! Light the path and run! I'm right behind you!"

Ross turned back to him and glared, but his expression softened when Ross realized Torey was right. He fired one last spark at the ghosts before taking off into a run.

The two of them ran as fast as their legs could take them, dodging both tombstones and attacks from the two pokemon. They turned to the right, running along the cliff face, just as the trevenant's Hammer Arm came down towards them. Torey could feel the earth beneath him crack as the trevenant's arm impacted the ground. The both of them lost their balance and stumbled, but were still on their feet, losing time to the ghosts behind them.

_"Shit, Torey, how much longer?!" _Ross yelled, glancing behind him. _"They're gaining on us!"_

Torey glanced over his shoulder as well. They were right on their heels. "Hell, I don't know! This place is too big!"

Torey grabbed for the radio. "Leo! Leo, where the hell are you?!"

The radio crackled momentarily, and then Leo's voice came through. "I'm comin' up on the fla-"

Torey lost grip of the radio just as the trevenant went for another Hammer Arm. Stumbling to all fours, Torey tried to reach for the radio just as it flew off the edge of the cliff. He cursed under his breath.

_"Torey, what are you doing?! Come on, let's go!" _Ross fired several sparks at the ghosts in an attempt to slow them down and keep them away from Torey.

Torey scrambled back onto his feet. "He's waiting for us at the flare! Come on, we're almost there!"

Torey wished he had a bird pokemon with him. This getaway would be much more swifter, and much less dangerous. A bird pokemon would work absolute wonders against that trevenant as well.

_"Torey, why don't we have a bird like Leo?" _Ross exclaimed. He knew it as well, the importance of having a high flyer on the team.

"Gah, just shut up and keep going! I can see the flare!"

They only had a few hundred meters to go. Torey could feel the ghosts on their heels and their breaths on his neck, cold, unforgiving, and lifeless. Torey shivered, but kept his eyes forward, intent on making it to the flare.

One hundred meters. Torey could see Leo and Ace's outline through the fog. He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Leo! Leo!"

Their outline took off from the ground to ready an attack. "Torey, look out!" He was surrounded by the red glow of the flare, and immediately, Torey felt like he had just won the most intense footrace of his life.

A feeling of security washed over Torey for a fleeting moment, a little moment that was short-lived, before he was hit by the trevenant's Hammer Arm and knocked off his feet. Torey blacked out, and when he opened his eyes once more all he saw was the dull, grey clouds that covered the mountainside.

And then he was falling. He hadn't realized it until his body had begun picking up speed. He yelled and flailed about, trying to find something that would stop his fall. He watched Ross follow him down the cliffside, seemingly out of his own will rather than from the actions of the ghosts. Ross tucked his legs in, falling towards Torey at incredible speeds.

Ross' actions were bittersweet. He'd do anything for him, no matter the cost. But it was here where it seemed to be more bitter than sweet, as Ross was still attempting to save Torey and do what seemed to be impossible.

It seemed that Ross had misjudged his speed, and before Torey had enough time to reach for Ross' pokeball and return him, the two of them collided in the air. A sharp pang shot up through Torey's chest, and he heard Ross wail in pain after making contact with Torey's ribs. Torey watched Ross shut his eyes, and he hugged Ross as tight as possible, hoping that if he didn't make it out alive, perhaps he could still save Ross.

Another outline appeared from the fog, this time being Leo and Ace diving towards them. Ace had tucked his wings in and Leo had tucked his body into Ace's. They both fell to Torey and Ross at a breakneck pace. Within seconds, Ace had managed to reach Torey, and the pidgeot delicately placed its claws around Torey's shoulders. All the blood in Torey's body rushed to his feet as Ace caught air under his wings, and Torey couldn't help but look down at how much bigger the stream of ocean water in the ravine was.

Torey laughed hysterically. His heart was pounding against his chest, his blood was racing, his face felt hot, he was sweating all over the place, and he felt broken. But still, here they were, dancing up on the tightrope and escaping the jaws of death once more.

"Holy shit!" Torey yelled. "We fuckin' made it!" He kicked his feet in excitement. His voice echoed throughout the canyon.

"Hey, simmer down, kid. I don't want Ace dropping you because you keep flailin' around down there."

Torey didn't listen. He was too excited about that near miss. Perhaps he didn't need luck. He was a Fournier, after all. "Oh Leo, you old, grey haired beauty! You're fuckin' magnifcent!"

"Torey! Quiet down, will you?! Ace and I have already been seen. I don't want us to be heard as well," Leo hissed. The four of them finally reached the vantage point that Leo was at. Torey stumbled to the ground as soon as he made contact with the floor, and he fell on his back with Ross still on his chest.

Ross' eyes were still shut tight and Torey could feel that he was trembling. "Hey, Ross, bud. It's okay now. We made it," Torey said, running his hands through Ross' fur. "You worried? We had it all under control." Torey laughed.

_"Oh shut up," _Ross mumbled. He peeked an eye open. _"I thought you were going to die," _Ross said. He pawed at Torey's nose with his good paw. _"We were never that close."_

Ross was shaking so much. No matter how much Torey tried to calm Ross down, Ross wouldn't stop shaking.

Torey moved his hands to Ross' paw. "Hey, how's your paw feeling?" He lifted his paw up, but the jolteon retracted it back in pain.

_"Ah! Not good," _Ross replied. Torey propped himself up onto his elbows.

"Here, let me see-" He tried to grab Ross' paw.

The jolteon retracted his paw away._ "Ah_,_ shit, Torey! Don't do that it hurts." _

"Shh, just don't worry about it. Trust me, I would never hurt you on purpose, you know that," Torey said. "Here, just let me see it real quick."

Reluctantly, Ross handed his paw over.

"Just tell me if it's too much."

Ross whimpered as Torey bent his paw by a little margin. _"Ah! I think it's broken, damnit."_

Torey sighed. "Let's better hope not. Here, I'll return you to your ball. We'll get you to a pokecenter." He ran a hand through Ross' fur. "You'll be okay, bud. Just hang on in there." With his free hand, he reached for the only empty pokeball on his belt and tapped Ross' forehead with it. In a flash of red, Ross was sent back to his pokeball to rest.

"Torey."

"Yeah?" Torey looked over at Leo.

"Have you thought about getting your own set of wings? Ace says you're getting too heavy."

Torey saw Ace nip Leo in the back. _"I never said such a thing," _the pidgeot said.

"Don't deny it, Ace. You want to say it," Leo replied, rubbing his back. The pidgeot looked away and scratched his claws on a nearby rock.

The older man walked up to Torey, lending him a hand to help him up. "C'mon, let's get going. Security's looking for us right now and we can't be caught." Torey was pulled to his feet, gasping as his chest flared with pain. He tried to play it cool, and he promptly dusted his pants off. Quickly, he went over to Ace, thanking him for catching them out of the sky.

Leo gave him a look of concern. "You okay, kid? You hurt?"

Torey waved a hand. "No, I'm good." He nodded to the older man. "Let's get going. I'd like to look further into this," Torey said, pulling out the map from his back pocket and showing it to Leo.

Leo grinned, clapping Torey on the shoulder. Torey grit his teeth as pain returned to his ribs. His hand drifted to where both the trevenant's Hammer Arm and Ross' paw made contact with his chest.

Leo took his hand back, noticing Torey's little gesture. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Torey said, flashing a smile towards Leo.

He chuckled. "Torey, you're just as bad as your brother when it comes to lying." He hopped onto Ace's back. "C'mon, let's head back to the pokecenter. We'll get some rest, figure out what's wrong with you." He lent a hand to Torey.

Torey took it, and with a grunt, hopped on behind Leo, clutching his chest. "Yeah, sure thing, old timer." Torey, now allowed to catch his breath, sighed in relief and unraveled the map as Ace stretched his wings and took to the sky.

"Say, Leo, how much do you think is a plane ride to Sinnoh?" he asked.

Leo looked over his shoulder at him. "Sinnoh?"

Torey continued eyeing the map. "That's where Muto went. According to this map, at least."

Leo shrugged. "Not too sure. Cheapest flights are maybe four hundred?"

Torey rubbed his chin. "Four hundred's not too bad," he replied.

Ace looked over his shoulder at the two of them. _"I heard Sinnoh's got some nice bird pokemon," _he said, receiving a chuckle from Leo.

"Yeah, Torey. Maybe you can get yourself a bird and not have to hitch along on Ace," Leo said. Ace rolled his eyes and looked back forward.

Torey chuckled as well. "Hey, I was thinking about it earlier. Maybe I will catch a bird in Sinnoh."

The sun was setting low, and the air around them was beginning to cool off. Torey looked behind over his shoulder, the mountain behind shrinking by minuscule amounts. Torey saw little specks of light bunched together; perhaps they had left before security had seen them take off. He clutched the ring that hung from the necklace around his neck, running his fingers over the words engraved.

Torey let out a little grin. He was now on the trail of the treasure that his brother had been sniffing out. He got off on the right foot, albeit a little clumsily, and found what he needed to complete Alain's task. He would find it for Alain, and Alain would be watching in the sky, smiling down on him.

"So, to Sinnoh, Torey?" Leo asked. "I heard a group named the 'Protectors' are looking for a replacement."

"Heh. Well that replacement better get to the Pontus Jewel before us." Torey pocketed the map. "But back to the pokecenter first. Fix up Ross and Rumble and see what's wrong with me. Then we get a plane ticket. Then to Sinnoh." He smiled and slapped Leo with the back of his hand on his shoulder. "And then we go find ourselves a Pontus Jewel," Torey said.

_"And a bird," _Ace piped up.

Torey chuckled. "Yeah. And a bird, Ace. Just for you."


	3. Truth or Justice?

_A/N: Alrighty then._

_Not back. Just dropping by with another chapter. I am writing, I am inching my way through this story. Life hasn't been too much of a pain to me luckily, so there's a reason why I got this chapter done. I hope you guys enjoy this part, and make sure to leave some sort of review. It really helps me progress as a writer, and the smallest little thing helps._

* * *

_Chapter 2: __Truth or Justice?_

_-.-.-_

_Mago_

_-.-.-_

_"You sure you don't like that combee?"_

_Mago gagged. "No. Nuh-uh." Mago and Arrow sat by the trunk of their tree, wasting another day for the sake of relaxation. Mago watched Arrow pick at the dead combee._

_The staravia stuck his beak inside the combee's honeycombs._

_"How do you like that stuff? It's nasty." Mago shuddered._

_Arrow emerged from the combee's carcass. The yellow goo from the bug dripped from Arrow's beak. "What? It's sweet, pup. Didn't you taste it?"_

_Mago cleared his throat and scratched his head. "Tastes like spit." He shuddered again._

_Arrow pointed at the kricketot that laid next to the dead combee. "How about the kricketot? You want that?"_

_Mago scoffed at the kricketot. "Now that, that tastes like shit." He threw up a little in his mouth, thinking about the crunchy shell and the juices that seeped into his mouth upon his first bite. _

_Arrow cocked his head. "What would you rather like, then?" he asked, digging into the kricketot. He rose up for air, the brown juices of the kricketot mixing with the yellow goo from the combee on his beak. "Because you're hunting it, not me."_

_Mago laughed. "I'm thinking of some finneon," he replied, the taste of the tender fish just teasing him. "You can never go wrong with finneon._" Mago salivated over the thought of the fish.

_"Not wrong with that statement," Arrow replied, "but we aren't by the ocean, pup. The only fish around here are the barboach by the stream."_

_Mago rose to his feet, spraying his paws from the bug gunk with water from his mouth. "I'll be right back then, Arrow. You want a barboach?"_

_Arrow chucked. "One won't hurt, will it?"_

_Mago smiled. "Three barboach it is, then." He turned and started off on a little trot on all fours._

_It didn't take him very long until he reached the nearby stream. He watched the water flow through the river, observing the inhabitants of the water below. _

_Several corphish roamed the riverbed. Mago knew he couldn't eat the corphish, not until he was bigger than the darn things. It was the same story with the whiscash that swam on the far side of the river. _

_However, Mago did see several blue fins drifting in the water. He knew that these was the barboach that hid under the mud. _

_Without hesitation, Mago dove towards the first barboach, quickly digging it up and gripping it with his paws. Though the barboach managed to escape Mago's first grab, it couldn't wiggle free from Mago's jaws. Mago dug into the fish with his teeth, securing the first catch. _

_The barboach tasted marvelous. Mago came up for air, and though he was tempted to take another bite out of the barboach, knew that he still had two more fish to catch. He threw the dead fish back onto the shore and dived back down to catch more. _

_The little hunt was supposed to be quick. The next fish didn't come as much of a chore to catch, and he threw it alongside the first barboach._

_He didn't quite expect to see another pokemon as he resurfaced with the last barboach._

_Mago stared at the pokemon that squatted by Mago's first two catches. It walked on two legs, almost like a human, but did not posses the height or the color that humans usually had. He was pale white and emerald, and he looked back at Mago a few moments later._

_"Err, can I help you?" Mago asked, climbing back onto shore and dumping the last fish with the rest of his catch. "I don't think I've seen anyone like you around these parts of the woods yet."_

_The gallade smiled and looked at him. "The future looks grim for you. You may not be able to cope with the challenges that lie ahead," he said nonchalantly. His face held the normality, his smile unchanged._

_Mago squinted at the gallade. "Sorry, I didn't get your name. What was it again?"_

_He received no response. The gallade just kept looking at him with his soft and innocent smile. _

_Mago sighed.__ "Asshole," he muttered, bending down to pick up the barboach. "Well, I'll be on my way then-" _

_The gallade rose to his feet and adjusted the blades on his arms. _

_"I'm sorry Mago, but I must change the future for the greater good. Please do not take this personally," the gallade said. _

_Mago only had a chance to give him one odd look before the gallade slashed at him with his arms. Mago held the barboach in defense, and the fish was sliced cleanly in half. Mago stumbled backwards, dropping the fish and whimpering in surprise._

_"Please, don't make this hard for me, dear Mago." _

_Mago shot at the gallade with a Water Gun, but the stream was deflected away. _

_"G-Get away from me! How do you know my name?" he cried, quickly getting back onto his feet. He yelped as the gallade swung at him again. _

_"I will only ask once more. Let me allow a better future for the rest of the population."_

_Mago gasped as the blade just skimmed his side. The blade was surprisingly cold, and the wound stung. He watched blood run from the cut and mat his fur. _

_He turned to run, but he felt his arms and legs lock up as he took off. He felt like a puppet; his joints flared with pain as if someone had jabbed sharp rocks into his shoulders, his thighs, and his neck. _

_He felt like he was being manipulated. He was forced to face the gallade, who was walking menacingly towards him. The psychic's eyes flared a hot pink, and his fists were balled up. _

_Mago helplessly watched the gallade wind up for a killing jab with his sword. _

_"I warned you once, Mago. I'm not one to repeat myself," the gallade said, though his mouth didn't move. His voice sounded ethereal, echoing in his head. "Now stay still and let me keep the world in balance." _

_Mago's throat tightened, and he found it difficult to breathe. _

_"Any last words, Mago? That will be the only mercy I shall grant you." _

_Mago tried his best to struggle against the psychic hold that the gallade had. He couldn't squirm, as much as he tried._

_The gallade smirked. "Very well," he said. Mago closed his eyes, waiting for the blade to sink into his stomach. _

_He heard the soft thud of landing feet and a clang of metal. Mago winced, expecting the pain to writhe through his body. _

_He opened an eye to see another gallade deflect the first gallade's sword away._

_The second gallade stood between Mago and his would-be murderer with hands up and swords ready. _

_"Have you no honor, fellow warrior?" it said, taking a step towards Mago's assailant. "I sense a little darkness in you, Veritas. Perhaps honor isn't your strong suit." _

_The first gallade glared at him. "You have no business here. Leave!" _

_"Neither does the buizel," he spat back._

_The two of them stared each other down, and Mago felt his muscles loosen. The pain from his joints subsided, and he collapsed to all fours, gasping for breath. _

_"Mago, stay behind me. Whatever you do-" _

_"How do you know-" _

_"Just stay behind me!" he said, just as the first gallade swung first. _

_The swords clashed against one another, sending sparks flying . Mago stumbled back towards a nearby tree as both psychic fighters danced back and forth, parrying and trading attacks in a beautiful display of footwork. Mago lost track of who his savior and assailant was, as they both moved extremely quickly. _

_"We both know who the stronger fighter is!" the evil gallade sneered, sneaking a few jabs at the good gallade. The good gallade parried the attacks away, just barely keeping up with the evil gallade's speed. _

_"The buizel has done nothing to deserve this! What you are doing is wrong, Veritas!"_

_Veritas laughed. __"You're too naive, Aequitas. This is why you will lose!" the evil gallade cried, not letting off with his relentless attacks.__ "You don't understand what the buizel means to the future! You're too focused on protecting every little thing that moves, sticking your nose in every little crack!" he yelled, jabbing after every sentence._ _"I've seen the future. I've seen the truth, and the future must be changed!" _

_Mago peeked past the tree trunk, watching the one called Aequitas fight very defensively, barely hanging on against the one named Veritas. _

_He winced as he saw Aequitas sustain several cuts to his forearms and side, although not without dealing his own share of damage. _

_"Everyone's time must pass, Aequitas. I don't want this to be your time, but I will end it if I must!" he grimaced, just after being nicked by Aequitas' blade. _

_Veritas lunged forward, slashing at Aequitas' neck. The sword did not connect, but Mago could not watch anymore, knowing that Veritas was looking to end the fight with only one of them making it out. _

_A loud screeching noise rang in the air, much like when a chatot was dealt a killing blow. Mago covered his ears with his paws and peeked back at the gallade that fought. They didn't seem to be affected by the noise. _

_And then he heard Aequitas' voice in his head. _

_"Run, Mago! Veritas will be after you shortly if you don't leave now!" _

_Mago watched Aequitas glance over at the tree, before using both blades to block Veritas' overhead attack. He dropped to one knee, shaking as he struggled to keep the blade away. _

_Veritas glared at Aequitas, grunting to find that extra burst of strength. _

_"You told him to run, didn't you?" __he sneered, his blades slowly nearing his adversary's face. "How can you protect that buizel if you can't even fight for him?" He laughed wickedly. _

_Mago saw Aequitas glance over at the tree once more. "Mago, go!" he yelled, before teleporting from underneath Veritas. He appeared behind him, yelling as he lunged at the opposing gallade. Veritas was quick to react, and Mago could see that Aequitas was physically drained from the quick psychic move. _

_Mago bit on his knuckle anxiously. __He had to help the one named Aequitas, some way and somehow. He was fighting for his life. Surely, he would die without any kind of help. _

_But the gallade could barely keep up with his counterpart. How long would Mago stand? He would just get himself killed, and Aequitas' efforts would have been in vain. _

_Mago shut his eyes tight as he felt himself begin to hyperventilate. He fought back the tears in his eyes and balled up his free paw. He hadn't realized he had begun bleeding from biting his other paw. _

_What other choice did Mago have? He flinched as he heard Aequitas cry in pain, imagining him clutching the blade that gutted him and spilled his blood onto the river bank. _

_Mago ran. He didn't have any other choice. Mago felt sick letting someone die for him. He looked back one last time as the light began to fade away, eyeing the faint aura of pink that peeked out from behind the tree trunks. _

_It was dark when Mago finally returned. He saw Arrow perched atop the tree branches, and he tried his best to flash him a smile. _

_"What took so long, pup?" Arrow asked light heartedly, before his eyes fell on the cut that Mago had sustained from Veitas. _

_He quickly flapped down towards Mago, concern evident in his expression. "Pup, what happened?" _

_Mago looked down at his side and brushed his paw over the wound. His voice was nonexistent as he opened his mouth at first. _

_"Corphish got me," Mago lied, brushing past Arrow. "You know those guys, being all territorial. One of them just nicked me as I went for one of the barboach. I guess I got too close." _

_He climbed the tree, scurrying up the branches to his usual spot across from Arrow. "And I guess things got a little hairy after that and I decided to play it safe." He shrugged at Arrow, flashing another smile at him. It made him feel terrible inside. _

_Arrow eyed Mago for a moment. Mago was sure that Arrow could tell he was lying. _

_And then the staravia sighed in relief. "For a moment I thought you got yourself into real trouble, Mago," he said, flying back up to the tree branch. _

_Mago sighed, his chest heavy with regret and confusion. Perhaps he should have told Arrow the truth. Perhaps he should have also helped Aequitas. It would have been a battle favoring them. _

_Mago could have helped save Aequitas. They could have defeated Veritas together. _

_There was something that Veritas had said during the battle. He had seen the future, the truth, and Mago was right in the middle of it. _

_Aside from all the fear that he felt, it jogged Mago's curiosity. Veritas had claimed he was responsible for the population. It was a dark, daunting thought to think about._

_"Hello? Mago?" Arrow said, leaning towards the buizel. Mago snapped his head up and towards the bird. "You paying attention?" _

_Mago stared back at Arrow and blinked. "No," he said. _

_Arrow clicked his tongue. "Well you know old Gib? He and his bidoof are saying that there seems to be some weird foreigners that look dangerous around here." He shuffled back to his corner of the tree. "Just wanted to let you know that wherever you go, I go, just so we stay safe." _

_Mago knew exactly who Arrow was talking about. He inhaled sharply. "I'm tired, Arrow. Could we talk about it tomorrow?" Mago asked quickly and perhaps a little rudely. He didn't feel one bit tired, however. _

_Arrow glanced at the buizel. "Yeah, sure thing, pup," Arrow said through a beak full of feathers. He held a look of concern. "Go ahead and get some rest." _

_Mago turned over the other way, facing the ground below and letting his arm dangle from the branch. He noticed the bite mark underneath his orange fur. _

_He couldn't fall asleep. Everytime he felt his eyes droop his mind flashed back to the fight by the river, but this time he was in Aequitas' position, watching Veritas strike him again and again. _

_Finally, he stopped imagining being Aequitas. This time, he was Veritas, dealing the killing blow to Aequitas. _

_Mago was wide awake for the rest of __night._

* * *

His life was only beginning to change.

Two months had passed and Mago's nightmares had been constant. Every night he was present for Aequitas' death. He had been the fly on the wall.

Several weeks later, he was seeing sights of chaos and destruction. And then an echoing voice, saying something about returning peace and order. Everything around him was slowly disintegrating into an unrecognizable mass of bland white. He watched in horror as the local starly cried in terror, as the local bidoof tried to escape from some indescribable wave, and as Arrow had turned into a heap of white matter. The next night, Arrow sunk into the ground as if he was drowning in quicksand.

All Mago could do was watch. Nothing affected him.

And it was Veritas' sinister voice every night that sent chills all over his body.

Mago could never get sleep. Every morning he was groggy, every day more hostile, more paranoid. The pokemon had noticed it. The local bidoof pretended to ignore him as he went into the stream. The starly and staravia tended to stay away from Mago. Shy as they already were, the bug pokemon retreated as soon as they caught a glimpse of that orange fur. The pokemon stayed away from Mago, and there were no questions asked.

Mago found himself constantly checking over his shoulder. He always had a pocket of water in his mouth, ready to burst down the first attempt at assault. His tail twitched every so often, anticipating a battle every day.

Lately, he had been trying to avoid Arrow as much as he could. He felt sick to his stomach treating Arrow so terribly. He pushed him away as much as he could, acted like Arrow was a completely different 'mon.

He didn't like doing it. But he had to. He had to protect Arrow. He couldn't have Veritas going after Arrow as well.

"No, listen, I'll go with you, pup," he'd always say, and he'd always go with his word, no matter how much Mago pleaded otherwise.

Mago knew Arrow was worried about their relationship. He didn't want it to almost die out as it did last time. He couldn't lose Mago.

But Mago couldn't lose Arrow either. He didn't want to cause him any harm. He had to stay away from Arrow. He almost thought of his condition as a terrible disease, and Mago was scared that if he so much as breathed on the bird, Arrow would have to undergo the consequences meant for himself. He didn't want Veritas to keep track of Arrow as well.

Arrow always looked so hurt after Mago pleaded to be left alone. It hurt Mago just as much. It pierced him through the chest with guilt. He just couldn't tell Arrow about Veritas and Aequitas, though. The two psychics were already being treated as foreigners. He couldn't have Arrow knowing they were going after him.

He hated it. He hated the nightmares, the constant paranoia, the fact that Arrow didn't, and couldn't, know about the weight he seemed to be carrying on his shoulders. It had boiled over to a point where Mago thought about ending it all. His mind lingered over the dark thoughts of suicide.

It seemed so tempting. He had to take the easy way out. Everyday his feet seemed to lead him to the outskirts of a nearby human settlement.

He heard many tales from Arrow about the pokemon that were taken from the woods. He always complained about the stories' validity. He would always laugh at how the pokemon that were caught were supposedly brainwashed, turned into servants without consent.

"Taurosshit," Mago would scoff. But everyday since the gallades' encounters, his disbelief was slowly turning into hope, safety, an end to it all.

He decided he would do it. To get himself caught, to stay with whoever caught him to keep himself as far away from Arrow as possible.

But Mago couldn't do it. He couldn't just leave behind all he lived for.

It was the gallade that made the thought so inviting. The menacing psychic's voice thundered in his head.

_"It's for the better, Mago,"_ Veritas would seemingly out of nowhere sneer in his thoughts. _"It's very selfish of you to end the lives of all these other pokemon." _

He wasn't even near Mago and still he could communicate with him. Mago found that he could see what he saw, hear what he thought. It filled Mago with dread whenever Veritas would unexpectedly speak to Mago. It terrified him that some pokemon held such power.

He had to get himself caught. It was a necessity if he was going to keep Arrow safe.

The two of them passed by the old berry trees one morning, going out to meet an old friend of Arrow. It was a place that always fascinated Arrow, ever since he was a little starly.

He said he always felt safe, secure, comfortable around the trees. The berries were there for the picking, some of the starly sang to each other, grass pokemon basked in the sun, bug pokemon feasted hungrily on the plants in a frenzy to evolve, and it was always Arrow's safe place if he needed somewhere to think over his thoughts.

The trees shared a symbiotic relation with Arrow. They provided Arrow a place to fall back to, a place of safety. The large berry trees provided a home and food for so many others. They always provided for everyone, and it was something that Arrow was grateful for.

He always cared for the trees as much as he could, as silly as it was. When he was still a starly, he would try to spread the berry seeds as far and as wide as he could, in an effort to help the trees spread their safety throughout the forest. He hoped that the trees that grew would make the surrounding area much safer to other pokemon, just as the woods made him feel safe and secure.

At least that's what he told Mago. Mago wasn't sure if he was supposed to feel the same way, because if he was, it surely wasn't working. He couldn't give much more than a hoot about the trees, because they did nothing for Mago and Mago didn't want anything to do with them.

Arrow glided through the air, whistling a soft tune, and had his wings lazily stretched out, and Mago tried to stay just as relaxed. He couldn't help swiveling his head left and right to look out for Veritas, though. It was something that Arrow noticed as they rounded the first bunch of trees.

Arrow had constantly asked Mago what was wrong. The buizel always brushed it off, albeit not as gracefully as he thought he seemed. He stood on his rear feet and jerked his head to the left when a nearby berry fell, and then back the other way after he spotted a falling leaf out of the corner of his eye.

"Seriously, pup. Tell me what's wrong," Arrow said, looking sternly at Mago. Mago, his cheeks puffed out with water, returned to all fours and spit out the water meant for his attacker.

"Nothing, Arrow," Mago replied, wiping a bead of water that ran down his muzzle. He held back a sigh; any sign of stress would not help his case.

Arrow sighed. "I can help you, pup. Whatever it is, I can help you," Arrow said. Mago bit his lip, tempted to tell him about his encounter with the gallades.

_"Go on, Mago. Tell him what's wrong," _Veritas said in his head. Mago jumped, fur on end, and looked around once more in fright. His heart plummeted as he heard Veritas cackle in his mind. _"You can't keep everyone safe."_

He jumped once more when Arrow landed next to him and laid a wing on him.

"Agh! I'm okay, I'm okay, I swear I'm okay!" Mago yelled, slapping Arrow's wing off and glaring at him. He hadn't realized he was angry at Arrow until he saw the bird's expression soften.

Mago felt guilt pang his chest. "I-I'm sorry, Arrow. I didn't mean it like that."

Arrow looked back at Mago, slowly drawing out a sigh. "Listen, whatever it is that's going on-"

"It's nothing! I promise, it's absolutely nothing!"

Arrow eyed Mago's messy fur, his darting eyes, his quivering nose. He glanced over his shoulder to see his tail twitch.

Mago looked back at it and stood on his rear feet so it was out of Arrow's sight. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Arrow replied, "You haven't been acting yourself lately. It worries me."

Mago waved a paw. "Don't worry about it. It's- It's all fine." He flashed a smile.

Arrow shook his head. "Not for me. Tell me what's wrong." Arrow tucked his wings in and stood in front of the buizel. "Please."

Mago could hear Veritas cackling in his mind once more. _"Come on, Mago. He cares for you. Why would you do this to him?"_

Mago put his paws up to his head in an attempt to block out his voice, but quickly changed his mind and scratched his head instead, wincing just slightly to deal with Veritas.

"It's just-" Mago sighed, trying desperately to find a different reason.

Veritas clicked his tongue. _"Excuses, excuses, excuses," _he sneered, chuckling to himself.

"It's just?" Arrow repeated, waiting for an answer.

Mago felt his breathing begin to speed up. "It's just-" Mago turned away, tightly shutting his eyes. He felt Arrow's wing land on his shoulder again.

"Mago-"

"Agh!" Mago swept Arrow's wing off once more. "Just leave me alone! I'm okay, and that's all you need to know!" Mago yelled. His heart thumped against his chest; he never liked yelling at Arrow.

_"Ouch, Mago. You should apologize," _Veritas said, following with a small chuckle. Mago balled his paws into fists and grit his teeth at the remark.

Mago and Arrow eyed each other. Arrow opened his beak to respond, before they both heard a rustling in the bushes to their left.

Horrified, Mago took a step back. Helpless terror filled him as the rustling approached the bush nearest to Arrow.

He opened his mouth to warn Arrow, but not before a little harmless pokemon emerged. Mago caught his breath as he watched the pachirisu shake itself free of the leaves and bushels that happened to be caught in its fur. Mago slowly crept up alongside Arrow.

Arrow's stern look dissipated and was instead replaced with a smile only a bird could make. The pachirisu returned it with its own toothy smile.

"Am I interrupting?" it squeaked hesitantly, looking back and forth at Mago and Arrow.

Arrow glanced at Mago briefly, and then shook his head. "Joy."

"Arrow," it squeaked back, letting out a laugh as Arrow waddled to it and embraced the pachirisu within his wings.

"I feel you've gotten smaller."

"You're still a little starly to me, hotshot."

Arrow released Joy, though a number of his feathers refused to do so. He didn't seem to mind, however.

They had been close friends for as long as Arrow could remember. She had been his guardian angel, his little protector, and it was quite odd hearing Arrow say these kinds of things. Usually, he was always on the other end.

It shined a different light on Arrow. He seemed much younger, less firm, and he didn't hold that same serious look that he held everyday. His eyes seemed to smile, and he looked as if he didn't need to care about anything, that someone else had already taken care of all of his responsibilities.

Mago came to learn that it was Joy who brought Arrow through a tough spot in his life. It was something Mago never expected, as Arrow was always independent and didn't need to rely on anyone.

She had been the one to find Arrow left behind by his flock and with an injured wing.

"And I remember little Arrow when he had evolved and he was so excited that he wasn't a starly anymore," Joy told Mago. "He kept telling me he would return to his flock and they would bring him right back in and that if they didn't he wouldn't need them anyway."

"And I didn't need them," Arrow quickly replied, lifting a wing at her, as though he was insistent on changing the topic.

Joy stifled a laugh. "Oh, Arrow. You really did!" She turned to Mago, clutching her fluff filled tail with her stubby arms like a mother would to its pup. "He was devastated when they didn't take him back, so I told him he could come right back and stay with me in the ol' berry trees if he felt lonesome."

Arrow glared at Joy. "Oh, don't give me that face!" she squeaked, releasing her tail. "You're still a little fledgling to me." She reached over and attempted to flatten the feathers that puffed from Arrow's body. She only succeeded in puffing more out with her static filled paws.

She knew Arrow as if she had been the one to lay his egg. Joy told Mago that Arrow wasn't what he seemed. Tough as he tried to be, Arrow was a very vulnerable pokemon. He was a good, strong pokemon, but he was very susceptible to those that he loved. He couldn't let go of the ones he was close to.

"He told me about you," Joy said, taking a step towards Mago. She glanced back at Arrow, and with a small giggle, she said, "He missed you very much. He couldn't do anything for the first week without you."

"Gah! That's not true!" Arrow retorted quickly. He opened his beak to continue, but stopped mid-sentence as Joy turned to him.

"Stop being such a tough bird!" she said.

She explained to Mago how Arrow hadn't been as helpless ever since he first came to her as a little fledgling. He refused to eat, to talk, to even move from the same branch on her tree.

On the days that Arrow moved, he was a little grump. He was moody, and anything that came by him immediately avoided Arrow. His demeanor, however, was something that Joy was persistent on reverting back. She had missed the old Arrow that acted wiser than his age and much tougher than what was intended.

She told Mago how Arrow avoided her at all costs. Despite her small size, her white fur usually gave her away, and with Arrow's keen eyes, she could never sneak up on him and keep him rooted with a conversation. He would always turn his back once she had been spotted.

"One day, though, I finally got him. He had his back to me and was buried underneath his feathers. You know, like he usually does." She swung her tail back and buried her face in it. "Like this."

Mago snickered a little and glanced at Arrow, who sighed and covered his face with both wings.

"He didn't expect it. And since I finally got him to talk, I decided to ask him what was wrong. He didn't want to talk about it at first. He was quiet, oh so quiet. He wouldn't say a word. He just waited for me to leave."

"Arrow was a patient one. But I guess I was more patient," Joy said, smiling at the bird. "He finally cracked. He told me about you, and he said he couldn't do anything. He'd thought he lost you." She petted Arrow's side.

It was true. Arrow had sulked off on his own. Arrow had watched Mago from a distance everyday. Arrow had almost become near close to what one would call 'lifeless'. It was all true.

Arrow couldn't live without Mago. It was something that Mago himself was beginning to realize, and a small pang of remorse bounced around in his chest. He had been taking his relationship with Arrow for granted.

"He's grown so much and after seeing him grow, I think back to this moment, to where Arrow had almost lost you, and I'm thinking about how much he still acts like a little baby sometimes!"

"Joy! Please," Arrow pleaded, a little hint of a sheepish smile appearing behind his beak.

She raised her paws in defense. "Okay, but I'm just saying little baby bird," she cooed, reaching for his cheeks, despite the fact she could barely reach up to his neck.

She promptly gave up and turned to Mago. "Look, what I'm saying is, as much as Arrow tries to hide it, he truly cares for you. You're his little fledgling, his little pup. Relationships like that are incredibly difficult to find nowadays. Even in flocks and little families." She looked at the ground and hugged her tail. The smile on her face faltered for a moment. "Everyone's looking to take care of just themselves."

She cleared her throat and shook her head. "But never mind that," she said, her mood returning to its regular cheeriness.

"You sure?" Arrow asked, turning to her. He had that same concerned expression once more.

Joy smiled and punched Arrow softly in the arm. "'Course, Arrow!" She giggled. "I just thought about ol' Gib is all. He's gotten farther and farther away from the other bidoof."

Arrow laughed and playfully shoved her. "I would, too. The bidoof are something else sometimes. I pity Gib."

Mago looked between Joy and Arrow. The way they conversed with one another, the little gestures they made towards each other, they seemed so close together. The way that Arrow let Joy pet his feathers any way she wanted and the way Arrow playfully pushed Joy around solidified their relationship. It let others like Mago himself know that they had that synergy that Joy said was so hard to find nowadays.

Mago had been so foolish. The last few months he'd been treating Arrow wrongly. He had been pushing him away to protect him, when instead what he really should have been doing was getting closer to Arrow. He should have told Arrow his secret as soon as possible because Arrow would always be there to help him.

He'd been avoiding Arrow, and all it had made him was more paranoid. Arrow would know what to do, and if he didn't he would at least be there for Mago.

Mago had it wrong. He shouldn't be trying to protect Arrow because of the bond that they shared. Because of the bond they shared, Arrow and Mago would protect each other.

The tension that had taken residence in Mago's back and legs for so long loosened a little. His mind, which had been so clouded by Veritas' presence, cleared as well, and for a moment, he felt relaxed.

He would do it. He had to do it. He would tell Arrow about Veritas and Aequitas, Arrow would be there to protect him, and Mago would protect him right back because they shared a friendship, one that couldn't be broken and could overcome anything.

Mago rose to his back legs and opened his mouth, not before a loud bang rang throughout the air. Mago tensed up once more, and his fur stood on end. Both Arrow and Joy were in similar poses.

Above, a flock of starly took to the skies, emerging from their trees. The surrounding bug and grass pokemon quickly scuttled back to their hiding places. The berry trees became deathly quiet.

He hadn't realized how quickly Joy and Arrow had gone up the closest tree. He saw a rustling in the bushes, and Mago froze; he knew he was done for.

A few bidoof rushed out of the bushes, running from the second bang that followed. Mago flinched, and then the bush the bidoof emerged from shook instead of rustled this time. This had to be the hunter.

He felt Arrow's wings wrap around him.

"Mago, come on! We have to hide!" he exclaimed, pulling the buizel towards the tree. Mago scurried up the tree clumsily, feeling Arrow's wings push him up the tree. He heard the hunter's footsteps, and he looked back to see the hunter pry himself free from the bushes' grasp.

"Hurry! We're going to be seen!" Joy squeaked, reaching down with her stubby paws. Mago climbed up to her level, and Arrow stumbled up to the top just after him.

The hunter emerged into their view. He scanned the area, bent down and studied the ground around him. He looked back up when the leaves by the three of them rustled.

Mago could have sworn the hunter saw them. He had locked eyes with the human.

But he was surrounded the trees' calm embrace. The orange of the autumn leaves shielded Mago and the rest of them from the human's gaze. The branches seemed to take Mago. For the first time, Mago felt safe and secure, just as Arrow did.

The hunter broke Mago's gaze, seemingly unaware of their presence, and he pressed on, looking for game to hunt.

He hadn't realized that he was holding his breath in. Mago let his breath out and felt Arrow clap him in the back with a wing. Joy and Arrow broke into a small chuckle, and Mago looked back at them both, bewildered by their close encounter.

"How'd he not see us?" Mago asked, turning back towards Arrow and Joy. But the two pokemon had already gotten back to catching up with one another.

He was truly perplexed by how safe he felt within the treetops. His fascination with the trees began to grow, and as the sun began to drop towards the horizon, he began to feel grateful for the trees for keeping him safe. He found himself eating several of the berries from the different trees. He found himself liking all the berries for their different and unique tastes, and he found himself full after the sun dipped below the horizon.

He felt so free. He felt no care in the world for anything. He was stress-free, and for a moment, he had forgotten about Veritas' existence entirely.

He had fallen asleep atop the comfort of the highest branch, and he hadn't noticed it until Arrow had woken him up. It looked to be dawn by then.

"Hey, pup, you ready to go?" Arrow asked, lightly tapping him on the back. Mago clumsily turned over to face him.

"Wha?" he slurred. He drearily opened his eyes, looking back at Arrow and Joy.

"Yeah, it's time to go, little guy," Joy said, yawning afterwards. It was quiet in the forest, and the calm noise of the rustling leaves were the only things that caused any noise louder than a whisper.

"Little?" Mago propped himself up. He scratched his head. "I'm bigger than you."

"So is Arrow," Joy said, rubbing her eyes. "He's still my little fledgling." They both made their way to the base of the tree.

Mago flipped himself over so that he was on all fours and made his way towards the trunk of the tree.

Mago scurried down the tree in the dark of the night, following Joy's outline down to the ground. She had been nice and she had been hospitable. There was, however, something that she taught Mago. She let Mago know that Arrow did care for him.

By the time they reached Arrow's nest, the sky had turned into a dull blue. The sun had not peeked its head out to greet another day yet.

But Mago felt refreshed. His mind had been unclogged. He hadn't heard Veritas' voice for the longest time now, and for a moment, Mago thought he had been freed from the clutches of the psychic type.

It wasn't until midday the next day that he heard the psychic type once more. His laugh frightened Mago, and it had stopped him on his stroll back to the old berry trees.

_"You didn't think it'd be that easy, now did you?" _Veritas asked. Mago froze. He hadn't done it voluntarily. Mago's eyes widened, and he tried to look around for help, but his neck had been locked in position. He tried to call for Arrow, but no voice came out.

_"Oh-oh, I really do hope you didn't think so. Please, accept my apology if you did." _He broke into a menacing laugh. He repeated the line to himself, hysterically laughing once more.

Mago darted his eyes back and forth and tried to force himself out of the position. He grunted, tried to squirm his way free, felt his muscles tense as he wouldn't budge.

He moved the length of a hair, a claw, and eventually he felt himself begin to loosen up once more. He darted to the nearest tree and scurried up as quick as possible, trying to hide himself among the leaves, just as he did when the hunter was there.

_"I wanted to save something for later, but it seems you've already found a little safe haven. But I'll tell you now, just so you know."_

Mago scampered backwards when Veritas laughed again. _"You know, I had a friend once, great guy. A hunter friend." _Mago made his way to the densest part of the leaves, his body quivering, his tail shaking in surprise and in fear.

_"He always loved a good hunt. Always felt the thrill of starting a hunt. Finding his prey. Catching his prey. Killing his prey." _He seethed the last sentence. _"He always wanted me to try_ _it."_ He paused. _"Now_,_ me? I'm a duelist. I'm never one to hunt. I..._ despise_ anyone who runs."_

"I'm sorry! Please leave me alone!"

Mago anxiously looked around. He saw a leaf fall, a kricketot crawl by, a starly fly overhead. He flinched as the wind swayed the tree back and forth.

_"You know, among us duelists- I'm sure you remember Aequitas. He would agree with me, I'm sure- these fights are intimate moments among us. It's quite rude when the one you are fighting turns to run. It truly infuriates me. Makes my blood boil."_ Shivers ran down Mago's spine as he heard Veritas inhale sharply.

"What do you want from me?"

_"You know what you did, Mago? Do you want to know what you did, Mago?" _Veritas exhaled, laughed softly. _"You ran. Aequitas would have appreciated your help. I would have loved to have taken both of you on."_ Mago watched the bush nearby shake furiously.

"No, please-"

_"No! You listen here, dear Mago. There's a reason why I mentioned my hunter friend. There's a reason why I can talk to you, why I am always in the back of your head, always watching you, always commenting on every little thing you do. You see, I've been growing." _He chuckled softly to himself. _"I'd love to show you. I'd really love to show you what I can do now. I've already shown you one thing, but there are _so _many more things I can do."_

"Please! Stop!"

_"You have no idea what I could do. I don't either. I'll just have to wait for it. But for now, I'll pay homage to my hunter friend. He wanted me to hunt. And so I will."_

Mago shut his eyes as the nearby bush quieted down and the shaking stopped. He heard Veritas chuckle to himself.

_"Now, dear Mago, stay safe. I hope to see you soon. You can't hide in those trees forever. And maybe then we'll have a good fight."_

Mago curled into a quivering mass of orange fur and whimpered softly to himself. He whined and put his paws over his face, hoping that what Veritas told him was not true. He didn't want to meet a Veritas that had more power than before.

He couldn't tell Arrow. Mago had yet to know what Veritas could do to him right now, and he didn't want to risk losing one of his only friends.

He returned back to Arrow's tree that night, faking a smile and acting as fresh as ever. He treated Arrow with that same friendliness that Joy had showed towards Arrow, but inside, he felt the fear and anxiety begin to sink in.

Would Veritas appear next month? Next week? Perhaps tomorrow?

Veritas was too strong for anyone to fight. Mago couldn't let Arrow protect him. Arrow would end up just like Aequitas.

He had to leave, and it had to be soon. His mind wandered off to the nearby human settlement once more.

He had to end it soon.


End file.
